William Barnett Blakemore was an American minister, educator, theologian, and ecumenical leader. A professor at the University of Chicago Divinity School and long-serving dean of its Disciples Divinity House, he contributed to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the ecumenical movement, and theological education through teaching, ministry, writing, and denominational service.
Background
William Barnett Blakemore, Jr. was born on July 22, 1912, in Perth, Western Australia, to American parents, William Barnett Blakemore and Nell Porter Blakemore. When he was six, his family moved from Perth to Melbourne, where his father served as minister of a large church. In 1925, the family returned to the United States and settled in St. Louis, Missouri. Blakemore initially pursued scientific and technical work after university before redirecting his vocation toward Christian ministry and theological education.
Education
Blakemore earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Washington University in St. Louis in 1933. After beginning work in the chemical industry, he received a scholarship from the Disciples Divinity House in 1935 and entered the University of Chicago Divinity School. He received a Master of Arts degree in 1937, a Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1938, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1941. His divinity thesis, The Definition, in Recent Psychology of Religion, of the Structure and Function of Faith, received the University of Chicago's Susan Colver Rosenberger Prize for Meritorious Research. A Disciples Divinity House traveling fellowship supported a year of study and travel in Europe in 1938–1939, including limited enrollment at Overdale College in Birmingham, England.
Blakemore began his professional life in St. Louis as a technology salesman with Gordhandas Sunderdas Robins & Company from 1933 to 1935. He then served on the counseling and directorial staff of the American Youth Foundation from 1936 to 1940 and later joined its faculty and board of trustees. Ordained to the ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in 1941, he joined the University of Chicago Divinity School, teaching psychology of religion and practical theology before becoming professor of ecumenical Christianity in 1971. He remained associated with the Divinity School until his death. At the University of Chicago's Disciples Divinity House, he served successively as assistant dean, acting dean, and dean from 1944 until 1975. He was also associate dean of Rockefeller Memorial Chapel from 1959 to 1966. His pastoral work included interim ministry at Chicago Heights Christian Church, Normal Park Baptist Church in Chicago, and First Christian Church in Downers Grove. Blakemore was a frequent preacher and lecturer for churches, ministerial associations, colleges, universities, and denominational gatherings. His professional work extended into ecumenical affairs, including participation in World Council of Churches assemblies, Faith and Order conferences, the Conference of Secretaries of World Confessional Families, and the Second Vatican Council, where he served as a Protestant delegate observer during the third and fourth sessions in 1964 and 1965. He was elected president of the World Convention of the Churches of Christ in 1974 and died in Dallas, Texas, while attending meetings of the convention and the Association for Theological Discussion.
Received the University of Chicago's Susan Colver Rosenberger Prize for Meritorious Research in 1938 for his divinity thesis on faith and the psychology of religion.
Received a Disciples Divinity House traveling fellowship for study and travel in Europe in 1938–1939.
Served as chairman of the Disciples Panel of Scholars and helped direct its reassessment of the history and fundamental teachings of the Disciples of Christ.
Participated as a Protestant delegate observer in the third and fourth sessions of the Second Vatican Council in 1964 and 1965.
Was elected president of the World Convention of the Churches of Christ in 1974.
Works
Christian devotional book
Encountering God
(A book by Blakemore on encountering God in Christian life...)
1965
Christian discipleship book
The Bible Enlightens Our Lives
(A book by Blakemore on the role of the Bible in Christian...)
1968
Edited report
The Renewal of the Church
(Three-volume publication of reports by the Disciples Pane...)
1963
Theological book
Quest for Intelligence in Ministry
(A book by Blakemore addressing intellectual responsibilit...)
1970
The Discovery of the Church
(A book by Blakemore concerning the nature and discovery o...)
1966
The Cornerstone and the Builders
(A book by Blakemore on Christian theology and ministry.)
1956
The Revival of the Churches
(The third volume of The Renewal of the Church.)
1963
Religion
Blakemore was ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in 1941 and served throughout his career as a minister, theological educator, and denominational leader.
Views
Blakemore's professional and written work centered on Christian ministry, worship, church renewal, theological intelligence, and Christian unity. His ecumenical activity and participation in the Second Vatican Council reflected a sustained commitment to interchurch dialogue and cooperation.
Membership
Blakemore served on the board of higher education of the Disciples of Christ, the Disciples Panel of Scholars, the central committee of the Brotherhood Commission on Restructure, and the department of pastoral services of the Federal Council of Churches. He chaired the Disciples Panel of Scholars from 1958 and participated in the denomination's restructuring process, including the Commission on Basic Documents. He was active in the Council on Christian Unity, the Illinois Commission on Ministry, the Association for Disciples Theological Discussion, the American Theological Society's Midwest branch, the Disciples of Christ History Society, the Association of Theological Professors in the Practical Field, and the North American Academy of Ecumenists. He also served as president of the Church Federation of Greater Chicago from 1967 to 1968 and remained closely involved with the American Youth Foundation, including its seasonal camp conferences at Miniwanca, Michigan.
Served on the counseling and directorial staff, later joined the faculty, and served on the board of trustees from 1956 until his death; he also chaired the Education Committee and led seasonal camp conferences at Miniwanca, Michigan.
American Youth Foundation
,
United States
1936 - 1975
Member of the department of pastoral services.
Federal Council of Churches
,
United States
1947 - 1957
Served on the board of higher education and participated in denominational restructuring, including the Commission on Basic Documents.
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
,
United States
1945 - 1975
Member and chairman from 1958; edited the panel's three-volume reports, The Renewal of the Church.
Disciples Panel of Scholars
,
United States
1956 - 1970
Member of the central committee.
Brotherhood Commission on Restructure
,
United States
1961 - 1969
Served as president.
Church Federation of Greater Chicago
,
United States
1967 - 1968
Participated in the council's work on Christian unity and ecumenical relations.
Council on Christian Unity
,
United States
Member.
American Theological Society, Midwest Branch
,
United States
Member.
Disciples of Christ History Society
,
United States
Member.
North American Academy of Ecumenists
,
United States
Personality
Blakemore was widely regarded as an effective public speaker and a committed institutional and ecumenical leader. His sustained work in theological education, denominational organization, and interchurch relations reflected an ability to connect academic, pastoral, and administrative responsibilities.
Interests
Ecumenical Christianity, Christian unity, theological education, preaching, church renewal, and leadership development.
Connections
Blakemore married Elizabeth Josephine Gilstrap on June 2, 1942. They had two children, William and Josephine Jory. His father, William Barnett Blakemore, was a minister, and his family background strongly connected his early life with Christian ministry.
Father:
William Barnett Blakemore
Minister and father of William Barnett Blakemore, Jr.
Mother:
Nell Porter Blakemore
Mother of William Barnett Blakemore, Jr.
Wife:
Elizabeth Josephine Gilstrap
Married Blakemore on June 2, 1942.
Son:
William B. Blakemore
Daughter:
Josephine Jory Blakemore
References
Guide to the William Barnett Blakemore Papers
University of Chicago Library finding aid documenting Blakemore's life, education, academic and ministerial career, denominational service, ecumenical activities, family, and papers.
